Build Thread '83 T-top Coupe - Cliff Notes Edition

[Davedacarpainter]

I sanded the inside edge of the scoop with fourty grit. Cleaned it and made a form for the PBA with 2" tape.

Then sprayed plastic adhesion promoter and spread out the PBA.

Hopefully by noon I can start trimming it with a new razor.

 

[Davedacarpainter]

So I got the edge built up for the two sided tape and smoothed. I blocked the original primer and had one area that I had to put polyflex on. I was able to block out the waves around the stud posts.

Did that, blocked it, reprimered, blocked it again with 320-400-600 and am getting ready to block with 800. It's nice and straight now.

I'll get it shot in just a little bit.

In this picture it has guide coat on it waiting for me to block with 800.

 

[Davedacarpainter]

Here it is painted. Woohoo! I still have to strip the grille piece. The PO of these pieces painted the grille and then goobered glue all over it.

I also cleaned up the trim panel for the dash. The wood grain was stained with what I thought was irreparable spotting. I was wrong, I just used rubbing compound on a rag and buffed it by hand. I couldn't be more pleased with the results.

 

[Davedacarpainter]

Remember my steering wheel and that little pad that goes in the center? Remember the center is missing the original emblem that goes there.

Welllllll, looky what I found!

A nice guy on FEP had one and sold it to me for $5 shippped! I'll restore it to it's former glory when i get it. Disassemble, some finger nail polish to restore the red, white and blue shield. Sand and clear coat the lense, spray the base black again....Woohoo!

 

[Davedacarpainter]

Ok, more odds and ends stuff that needs to be done.

There are soft foam seals that go between the different boxes of the Heater Box system. They're not in terrible shape, but they do have the old moulding,rat crap smell of the interior. I bought some foam and made new ones. I'll use a two sided tape to attach them to their places on the box.

I simply used the old pieces as templates and cut them out.

The reason I show the details of everything is so hopefully it will help someone that will do the same someday. It makes a long thread admittedly.

I also bought this role of thin foam to make the foam seals that go around the vents. They seal the connection between the ducting and vents.

 

[Davedacarpainter]

Another small, but this small means I'm finished with the Heater Box. I hooked up the new blower motor and soldered on the factory connector. I tested it out with my jumper box and it really blows (i know...i know....). So the box is literally good as new now.

So, what did I do with it? I put it in one of the parts piles for Roby.

 

[Davedacarpainter]

I got this in the mail today.

Now I just need to figure out how to tear it apart and then I can use fingernail polish to make the red, white and blue shield look nice again.

Just so y'all know what's going on. Not a crap load has been done with Roby because I've needed to do side work in the evening to supplement my income.

This has worked out in an interesting way. I just got back tonight from painting a Chevy pick up at a guy's home shop. He says it's small (I wept internally since it's only about eight times the size of my garage). BUT, he says I can bring Roby to his shop to work on it!!!!

I want to paint a couple more jobs for him first so he will decide I'm safe and not a "cereal" killer (@madmike1157 )

I will probably be finally (no, i'm serious this time) getting Roby's door within a week or two. I've almost run out of stuff to do for him.

 

[Davedacarpainter]

More little stuff on a little emblem. I decided to spend a little time on it while I wait to drive out to Sand Springs to work on a beautiful new BMW around noon today.

Here's a side view where you can see it has a collar on it to hold the clear plastic cover in place.

I used a razor blade to carefully separate the collar from the base and you get these four pieces. The collar itself has silver paint round the rim (silver sharpie to the rescue). I'll sand the clear cover to remove the scratches and gouges and clear coat it like I did my taillights.

Here's a close up of the shield.

I never really looked at these closely before, so now I need to do a little studying. I thought the background was white, but as you can see the top surface is a spun look. On the right side i used a little spit and my thumb and you can see where it peeled a coating back a little. I wonder if this was just clear originally or a pickled whitish look? You can see the makers of the emblem didn't necessarily stay in the little squares for the red, white and blue. This is good for me. It will be a slight pita to mask those off for paint.

 

[Davedacarpainter]

So this week I've brought home my hood scoop

my instrument panel (dash) and my t-tops. I plugged my t-tops on Doby just for temporary storage.

Poor Doby is dusty right now, but new and bigger plans are coming for him.

I'm trying to get back out to the yard to get my driver's door and a little something for my buddy Nick. Hopefully soon.

 

[Davedacarpainter]

Jeez, my thread was four pages back! I've been slacking obviously!

I've been busy working on customer stuff though really.

That died again, so....

I painted the little emblem. It took me several hours to do this. When I cleaned up then brushed aluminum disc it luckily removed that tiny little freaking black pinstripe around the wreath and crown that surround the crest. Yay!

Anyhow, what I decided to do was to paint the field the same green as the GLX emblem on the hood. I wanted a little accent of it in the interior, now I got it.

So, before

Painted green

I had to scrape out the channel between the wreath and center of the shield with an exacto blade so the black stripe on the inside would look right. Here it is after masking for thirty minutes before the black stripe.

With the red, white and blue and clearcoated. Plus the little lense that covers it.

The picture of the emblem itself makes it almost look spotty on the black in the inner area. It's just glare from the lights.

I've started cleaning up the instrument cluster, I'll cover that next week.

I was going to get the door, but the yard owner was out of town for the last two weeks. Next week though you'll get to eventually see more kona blue shot.

 

[Davedacarpainter]

My allergies are really kicking in today. If you got this problem too you should try this new liquid medicine I've got recently. It doesn't really stop the boogers or anything, it just makes you not care as much.

It also makes you see double, which is handy now because I have enough beer for the weekend.....I think....

 

[Davedacarpainter]

Ok, I did something today.

 

[Davedacarpainter]

I broke out my mini blaster this morning to see how deep the rust was along the bottom of the door. Not bad at all! Yay!

By the way, with an air hammer and a chisel tip those hinge pins leapt right out of the way.

 

[Davedacarpainter]

Got that little roller pin out. Air hammers are a good thing.

Not much, I know, been working on paying stuff for a change.

 

[Davedacarpainter]

I was able to tear down the driver's door today. Still busy at work though.

The lower hinge weld on top was broken, so I rewelded it real quick too.

 

[Davedacarpainter]

Ok, my thoughts are that some rather large water buffalo desguised as a women was the previous owner of Roby.

Of course we have the massive cracks in the floor pan under the front seat's rear bolts. Probably not caused by the impressive 115 crank horsepower. Now we also have a wallowed out hole at the bottom of the door where the guide rod attaches to.

I just ground it down and welded in a washer to give it a little stability. I figured the WBPO ( Water Buffalo Previous Owner) must have been putting their delicate ham sized fist on the top of the glass to uncork their great big ginormous fat butt from the driver's seat. Thereby causing mere steel to give way under the enormous pressures of said tonnage.

I'll smooth that out with a little bondo so it doesn't look too bad.

 

[Davedacarpainter]

I finished blasting the jamb of the door and etched and primered it this morning. I might try to get the seam sealing done this afternoon if I have time.

 

[Davedacarpainter]

I didn't seam seal yesterday, instead I flipped the door over and started to strip it.

After I got it to metal I sprayed a rust converter/metal prep over the entire surface. It had tiny little specs of rust all over the surface. That'll take care of them. Once I wipe it down again I'll give it three coats of primer and do the initial block to see what really needs to be fixed. The door is remarkably straight.

 

[Davedacarpainter]

You've mentioned seam sealer numerous times. At what point does it need to be replaced?

Here's a picture of the old crap. I might spread it today, I'm thinking I might do some of the bodywork instead though.

I used a fiberwheel to remove it.

I just need to put it on there before I paint it with the final finish. I'll post some pictures of it when I do it. I'll use a flowable seam sealer.

 

[Davedacarpainter]

In primer with an initial blocking with 150 to see what really needs the extra attention.

Not bad at all really, I'll only need to pull a few dents and around the door handle.